Why Are You Atheists So Angry?: 99 Things That Piss Off the Godless

Why are atheists angry? Is it because they're selfish, joyless, lacking in meaning, and alienated from God? Or is it because they have legitimate reasons to be angry - and are ready to do something about it? Armed with passionate outrage, absurdist humor, and calm intelligence, popular blogger Greta Christina makes a powerful case for outspoken atheist activism, and explains the empathy and justice that drive it. This accessible, personal, down-to-earth book speaks not only to atheists, but also to believers who want to understand the so-called new atheism.

This is a *must read* for atheists, theists, and on-the-fencers. If you're religious and have ever wondered why we atheists are so angry, read or listen to this book. If you are an atheist and have trouble articulating your reasons for being angry, read or listen to this book; it will help you state your argument better.

The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared

After a long and eventful life, Allan Karlsson ends up in a nursing home, believing it to be his last stop. The only problem is that he's still in good health, and in one day, he turns 100. A big celebration is in the works, but Allan really isn't interested (and he'd like a bit more control over his vodka consumption). So he decides to escape. He climbs out the window in his slippers and embarks on a hilarious and entirely unexpected journey, involving, among other surprises, a suitcase stuffed with cash.

Warning! Do not listen to this book at work, particularly if you're a history-enthusiast. Your coworkers will look at you like you've lost your damn mind.

Having seen interesting comparisons in the Reviews section, here's mine: The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared reminds me of the movie Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. The protagonist and his friends always seem to be in the wrong place at the wrong time--with hilarious results.

Steven Crossley does a splendid job of making the story sound as dryly funny as it's supposed to be. Jonas Jonasson sure gives Douglas Adams a run for his money, which is one of the highest compliments I can think of to pay to any author.

I have to say that this is definitely in the top five books I've purchased from Audible ever, and the best book I ever paid for with cash, not a credit.

The Creation of Anne Boleyn: A New Look at England’s Most Notorious Queen

Part biography, part cultural history, The Creation of Anne Boleyn is a fascinating reconstruction of Anne’s life and an illuminating look at her afterlife in the popular imagination. Why is Anne so compelling? Why has she inspired such extreme reactions? What did she really look like? Was she the flaxen-haired martyr of Romantic paintings or the raven-haired seductress of twenty-first-century portrayals? (Answer: Neither.) And perhaps the most provocative questions concern Anne’s death more than her life.

Long before I saw The Tudors I loved Elizabeth I and Anne Boleyn. I would childishly stomp my feet at the back covers of Philippa Gregory's novels because I was looking for good, realistic, Tudor fiction.

Susan Bordo did a marvelous job portraying Anne as accurately as she could, acknowledging the lack of impartial historical documents (of course no such thing exists, much less for such a decisive lady). She was fair to other accounts of Anne, fiction and non, screen and print, to a fault. Ms. Rosenblat was a fantastic narrator, giving the biography the right twist of sarcasm and wit at their obvious parts.

Why Evolution Is True

Why evolution is more than just a theory: it is a fact. In all the current highly publicized debates about creationism and its descendant "intelligent design", there is an element of the controversy that is rarely mentioned: the evidence, the empirical truth of evolution by natural selection.

Why Evolution is True has been in my wish list for a very long time. I wish I'd gotten it sooner. I watched Dr. Jerry Coyne's presentation in 2009 on YouTube, so I thought I knew what all the book had to offer.

I'm pleased to have been proven wrong. Dr. Coyne clearly shows how evolution is true as eloquently as any attorney proves a defendant guilty beyond any reasonable doubt. He also shows that accepting Darwinism as fact doesn't mean that we have to act like our other primate relatives. He also manages to do so in such a way as to make you not feel like you're reading (or listening to) a textbook.

As for Victor Bevine, he didn't come off as monotone, as many nonfiction narrators do. Again, I didn't once feel like I was listening to a textbook. While I was already convinced about the truth of evolution, I learned a lot and was engaged to the point of total absorption.

Young-Earth creationists (if they bother to read or listen to this book) will find themselves uncomfortable in the extreme. In-betweeners will most likely never bother questioning this scientific fact ever again.

The Time Traveler's Wife

Clare and Henry have known each other since Clare was six and Henry was 36. They were married when Clare was 23 and Henry was 31. Impossible but true, because Henry is one of the first people diagnosed with Chrono-Displacement Disorder: periodically his genetic clock resets and he finds himself misplaced in time, pulled to moments of emotional gravity from his life, past and future. His disappearances are spontaneous, his experiences unpredictable, alternately harrowing and amusing.

Nobody's Baby But Mine

Jane Darlington is a genius at physics, but there's one problem she can't solve. She yearns for a child, but wants to spare it the pain of growing up as...well, a nerd. And surely any child of Jane's would be a little too brainy for the playground set. So she sets out to find a special man to father her child, someone without too much gray-matter between his ears: in short, a big, strong dope. Cal Bonner, legendary pro quarterback, seems to fit the bill. But there's something Dr. Jane hasn't counted on.

The story is cute, as expected from SEP. Anna Fields delivers a lovely performance, as always. There were several glaring problems that greatly reduced any affection I have for the protagonist, Dr. Jane Darlington. For a super genius, she's awfully stupid-not just socially. She doesn't know the difference between supposed psychic powers and ESP, for one. As a theoretical physicist, she is über-religious, which is incredibly rare. That said, the antagonism is enjoyable. Cal is precious, and unlike his counterpart, is a believable character.

Overall, if you're just looking for fluff, this novel Wil appeal to you. If details like this bother you, pass on this one.

Burning Paradise

Cassie Klyne, 19 years old, lives in the United States in the year 2015 - but it's not our United States, and it's not our 2015. Cassies world has been at peace since the Great Armistice of 1918. There was no World War II, no Great Depression. Poverty is declining, prosperity is increasing everywhere; social instability is rare. But Cassie knows the world isn't what it seems. Her parents were part of a group who gradually discovered the awful truth: That for decades - back to the dawn of radio communications - human progress has been interfered with, made more peaceful and benign, by an extraterrestrial entity.

4.25 Overall:Having been introduced to RCW's work (Spin) just in 2012, and loving it enough to finish the series, I have to say that Burning Paradise isn't for romance or action-genre buffs. However, if you really like sci-fi/fantasy--especially of the speculative variety, this should appeal to you. Wilson does seem to be peculiarly fascinated with self-replicating machines, and I truly cannot fault him for that; their Hypothetical (pun intended) existence IS fascinating.

The characters are well-written. The plot is great. The performance is spectacular, as always-Scott Brick's voice never detracts from the story. All in all, as a story, I enjoyed this audiobook immensely and will listen to it again.

So, because I never include spoilers, this concludes my review. Happy listening! ;)

The Handmaid's Tale

Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead, serving in the household of the enigmatic Commander and his bitter wife. She may go out once a day to markets whose signs are now pictures because women are not allowed to read. She must pray that the Commander makes her pregnant, for in a time of declining birthrates her value lies in her fertility, and failure means exile to the dangerously polluted Colonies. Offred can remember a time when she lived with her husband and daughter and had a job, before she lost even her own name....

A fundamentalist Christian theocracy gone terribly wrong. The imagery is perfect. Offred is so normal, she makes us see how easily a person with natural urges could go totally insane in a place like Gilead. Gilead shows how important freedom of and from religion are.

This is a good gift for that person in your life who thinks that the government should decide how we can live through scripture.

Primary Colors

Primary Colors offers a richly detailed look at life on the political stump. As former congressional aide Henry Burton is dazzled and lured into presidential hopeful Jack Stanton's fledgling campaign, he becomes a cog in Stanton's unstoppable political machine. Burton illuminates, through his actions and observations, the sometimes seamy, sometimes steamy and sometimes surprisingly noble ascent to the presidency.

No really. I was a Communications major, Political Science minor, in hopes of becoming a speechwriter. Unfortunately, I saw too much of Libby Holden in myself.

Personal stuff aside, Peter Francis James does a marvelous job narrating what must, at times been difficult, with some of the subject matter. Hands down, the manic-depressive investigator is my favorite character.

The staffer/candidate comes across quite candidly. I was intrigued by the firestorm that came with Primary Colors' release. The book was even better than the media frenzy surrounding its release.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: The Millennium Trilogy, Book 1

Why we think it’s a great listen: How do you one-up a book that’s already a global literary phenomenon? Hire Simon Vance to (flawlessly) interpret the loves, lives, and murders of Sweden’s cold and secret-filled world. A spellbinding amalgam of murder mystery, family saga, love story, and financial intrigue. It's about the disappearance 40 years ago of Harriet Vanger, a young scion of one of the wealthiest families in Sweden.

I do understand the hype, but don't think this novel, or the three that followed, deserving of *as much* attention as they received. I always appreciate reading/listening to novels with atheist protagonists who aren't treated with disdain or pity for their lack of belief.

The three things that boosted (in my estimation) The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo are: 1) the treatment of religion was fair-it wasn't skewed, and 2) the realistic view into how society treats people they don't understand, namely Savants, was refreshing. 3) I think the author conveyed a genuine liking of females.

Though I gave only 4 stars, I don't feel I wasted my time. The story was great.

Gone Girl: A Novel

It is Nick and Amy Dunne's fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick's clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn't doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media - as well as Amy's fiercely doting parents - the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he's definitely bitter - but is he really a killer?

The first third is a tad slow, but hang in there. Once you get to the meat of the story, you're in for one hell of a ride! What's so striking is that the slow beginning is necessary to build tension.

The narrators are great. The characters are over-the-top interesting, but real. They have the same vanities and hang-ups that we all have, just more so. Honestly, my favorite character is Go. She's as good a sister as she can be.

I wish I could say more, but I'd spoil the story. If only I had three thumbs...sigh.

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